South Texas
Our Mission
Over Spring Break, St. Mary's will take a group of 18 students led by our student intern with the support of a staff member on a domestic mission within our own state. We plan to serve for a seventh time back down along the border in McAllen, TX.
This year will be our second year serving with Seton Teaching Fellows in their school, Brilliante Academy. Over the years, we have served with other various organizations such as the Humanitarian Respite Center, Comfort House, His Hands, Culture of Life Ministries, and with the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
With Seton Teaching Fellows, we will be volunteering in various capacities during the school day (teacher help, tutoring, playground assistance) and helping with their after-school Catechesis program, El Camino, where they help form students in the Catholic faith. We also hope to join them for their family faith nights, which are designed to invite and engage parents in the spiritual formation of their children. At the heart of their mission is a deep commitment to bringing the living Gospel and the beauty of the Catholic faith to children and families in underserved communities, through an imitation of Christ the Teacher. We are also hoping to partner with other local ministries to serve the community in other capacities such as the food pantry, home repair projects, gardening projects, possible home visits to the colonias, and more. This will be a beautiful experience encountering the Heart of Jesus in our brothers and sisters in our own state.
Important Information
Date
March 13-20, 2027
Cost
The total cost of the experience will be around $550 (final cost to be determined based off housing booked).
This amount will cover all lodging, meals, traveling/gas expenses, and any organization fees. You will be responsible for your own meals on travel days (the first and last day of the trip).
The team will have several opportunities to participate in different group fundraisers and personal fundraising. We often have students who are able to fundraise the full cost of the mission trip. If money is a concern for you, please reach out. We are always willing to help you with fundraising and scholarship options.
Applications
Applications will open on October 1st and close on October 18th. Acceptances will begin being communicated starting October 22nd.
Required Preparation Meetings
As part of our mission trip experience, we will have preparation meetings together as a team. These meetings will take place on the following Sunday afternoons from 3-5pm (November 8th, November 22nd, December 6th, January 31st, February 14th & 28th, and March 7th). We will also have a Missions Workshop on Monday January 18th from 4-7pm. All meetings will be mandatory. These meetings are focused on team building, spiritual and practical preparation for mission, fundraising coaching, and logistical updates.
Questions?
Email Hope Cannon
Student Testimonies
“I really enjoyed Brilliante. They just had so much joy despite circumstances, and they brought their parents closer to Christ without even knowing it.”
“This mission shows you how to be truly open to fully allow the Lord to work through you.”
I almost convinced myself not to go because I believed I wasn’t right to serve the impoverished or encounter these underserved communities. How wrong I was!!! Not only did I get to spend a week with the people who are now some of my best friends, I got to enter into the lives of some of the most hardworking, kindhearted, gentle souls throughout the Rio Grande Valley. I learned more about myself, my faith, and the gift of strangers than I could have ever imagined. The Lord prepares you for these experiences and calls each of us to be His hands and feet in the most beautiful ways.
“I saw in a new way that God equips us to go out into the world even if it is only in our community and find our own Calcutta. Where 2 or 3 are gathered truly took on a new meaning. Now the people I served with are my closest friends. We saw things that we can't explain, heard testimonies that you can't begin to imagine and came back renewed with a new appreciation for our lives. I learned how to have a childlike dependency on Christ from the kids we served and that everyone needs a savior and someone to hear them.”
"Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta.
Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right where you are-in your own homes and families, in your workplaces, and in your schools. You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for,just rejected by society- completely forgotten, completely alone."
-St. Teresa of Calcutta